Her Majesty The Empress Has Made Her Debut In The Center Position [Ancient to Modern] - Chapter 28.1

Who did Ji Zhao choose?

This became the shared question among all the trainees after hearing Yu Cheng’s heartfelt confession relayed by the staff during the interviews. They whispered excitedly on their way back.

“Who did you choose? I obviously chose you! We have a partnership contract, right?”

“I definitely chose you. Developing more CPs is good for mental and physical health.”

“I chose Zhaozhao. I like her, but who did she choose?”

“Zhaozhao—Zhaozhao—” Chen Xingzi shouted as soon as she entered the dormitory building. Her voice echoed through the spiral staircase, reaching every corner of the dorm. The trainees perked up their ears, listening intently as Chen Xingzi rushed into room 309 to ask the burning question: “Who did you choose?”

Ji Zhao was sitting on her bed, reading a physics textbook she’d borrowed from Ying Tian. High school physics was a bit dense for her, but after calming down and asking Shen Yican a few questions, she was just barely managing to understand it.

Chen Xingzi rushed to Ji Zhao’s bedside, dropping to one knee, her eyes brimming with curiosity. “I asked the reporters, but they all refused to tell me. They said they have to wait until all the interviews are done and the results are tallied before revealing it to everyone.”

Ji Zhao flipped a page in her book. “Isn’t that soon enough?”

Chen Xingzi pouted. “But I want to know now! I’m dying with curiosity—I can’t stand this suspense! If you don’t tell me, I won’t be able to eat dinner!”

Ji Zhao remained unfazed. “Perfect. You can use this as an opportunity to lose weight.”

Chen Xingzi couldn’t control her appetite, and most of her reward points had been exchanged for snacks. Since moving into the estate, she’d gained five pounds, developing a baby-fat appearance that was noticeable on camera. The company, through the production team, had even warned her: “Watch your weight!”

Skipping dinner would be perfect for weight loss.

Chen Xingzi was about to explode. Her eyes darted toward Yu Cheng, who was sitting at the desk, lost in thought. She whispered urgently, “Yu Cheng, don’t you want to know who Zhaozhao chose?”

Yu Cheng, of course, wanted to know. But she hadn’t been able to speak to Ji Zhao all day, so even if she wanted to ask, she couldn’t.

So she pretended nonchalance. “We’ll find out naturally when the show airs.”

Chen Xingzi pursed her lips and snorted softly. “You’re awfully calm. Are you worried Zhaozhao might choose someone else? That would mean the ship I’ve been rooting for is doomed. Should I start looking for a new pairing?”

“A new pairing?” Ji Zhao finally looked up from her physics book. She grabbed Chen Xingzi’s arm as she tried to leave. “What do you mean?”

Seeing she might have gotten somewhere, Chen Xingzi cleared her throat and put on a dramatic air. “I was really invested in you and Yu Cheng. You two have such strong characters—you could be a power couple or a loyal dog and a young lady. Either way, your dynamics really spoke to me. But now that neither of you reciprocates, what’s the point? I’m out of here.”

“Wait.” Ji Zhao closed her book. “I chose Yu Cheng.”

Chen Xingzi hadn’t expected to actually get her to confess. She screamed inwardly, but kept her cool, trying to milk the situation for more details. “Why?”

Ji Zhao tilted her head, meeting Yu Cheng’s gaze.

Yu Cheng instinctively tried to look away, but then remembered that His Majesty had only forbidden her from speaking to Ji Zhao, not from looking at her. Steeling herself, she returned the gaze with quiet confidence, a tiny spark of hope kindling in her heart.

Ji Zhao wasn’t sure where her confidence was coming from. After a moment’s thought, she said, “I don’t have a reason.”

Chen Xingzi looked perplexed. “Can you just say that?”

Of course not.

The interviewer told her, “You need to give a reason. Otherwise, we can’t air this.”

Ji Zhao was a hot contestant, and she had chosen Yu Cheng, who everyone was rooting for. This was prime material for a publicity stunt to boost ratings, so Ji Zhao had to give some kind of explanation.

Well, it’s not like it’s a bad pairing, she thought.

After a moment’s contemplation, Ji Zhao said, “Yu Cheng is talented. She has a solid dance foundation, patience, perseverance, and kindness. And I know for sure that she would choose me.”

The crew turn-off the camera and cheered at this answer, thoroughly satisfied.

When Yu Cheng heard this, she turned her face away, trying to hide her smile with a fist pressed against her lips. But the joy in her eyes spilled over, spreading across her face.

Watching this, Chen Xingzi rolled her eyes. “If you want to laugh, just laugh. Holding it in is bad for your health.”

Shen Yican finished catching up on her sleep and pulled out her earplugs, intending to listen to the sounds outside. But the moment she removed them, Chen Xingzi’s chattering voice filled her ears. Leaning against the upper bunk’s railing, Chen Xingzi drawled lazily, “Speaking of the usual show format, weren’t we supposed to be asked two questions during this interview? Why did they only ask one?”

“Two?” Chen Xingzi looked genuinely confused. “They only asked me one.”

She stood up and turned to Ji Zhao. “Zhaozhao, how many questions did they ask you for your first round?”

Ji Zhao hummed in understanding. “Oh, so that was the second question.”

Shen Yican sat up. “What was the question?”

If you had a brother or sister, and you were asked to choose a sister-in-law or brother-in-law from among the trainees, who would you choose?

Ji Zhao’s first reaction wasn’t to answer the question, but to ask another: “Why would I want a sister-in-law or brother-in-law? Would being my sister-in-law or brother-in-law actually benefit them? Why should I be here picking wives for those men? Do they even deserve it?”

The staff members were stunned speechless. “No… that’s not what we meant… We just wanted to use this question to promote the show and stir up some buzz. We asked about ‘older brother’ and ‘younger brother,’ but we really wanted to know who you’d choose.”

“Why not just ask me directly?” Ji Zhao stared at the camera, her expression cold and imposing. “Do I need to hide behind the names of fictional brothers when choosing a trainee I like?”

The staff trembled. “No… that’s not it… We didn’t mean anything like that…”

Ji Zhao turned around, tore the question off the wall, and addressed the camera. “I don’t like this question, so I refuse to answer it. If there are no other questions, I’m leaving now.”

With that, she stormed out of the recording studio.

After Ji Zhao left and before Yu Cheng arrived, the production team held a hasty impromptu meeting. They quickly decided to remove the offending question from the show, relieved to have avoided a potential disaster.

This was a women’s variety show. Although it was aimed at a general audience, women were the primary buyers, since men were too stingy to spend money on such things. Offending their core audience over such a trivial matter would be a huge loss for the show.

After listening to Ji Zhao’s story, Chen Xingzi clasped her hands together, her tone filled with admiration. “You’re our role model.”

Shen Yican gave Ji Zhao a deep look before lying down again, fully clothed. Chen Xingzi couldn’t help but exclaim, “How can you sleep now? How can someone your age even sleep at a time like this?”

Shen Yican pulled down her eye mask, lying perfectly still. “If I don’t sleep now, I won’t get any rest tonight.”

At 8 PM tonight, the first ranking announcement for Debut! Girl Season 4 would be recorded. According to intel, founder Cheng Feiwan had already arrived at the estate after noon and was currently in the dressing room, having her makeup done while flipping through the list of rankings.

Whether they would advance or be eliminated, continue or leave—the fate of everyone on the show would be revealed at 8 PM tonight.

Ji Zhao also caught a few more winks.

She had a brief, nonsensical dream.

In the dream, she transformed into a peach blossom. Yu Cheng spotted her from afar and leaned in to sniff her. Hearing Yu Cheng murmur, “Your Majesty will surely love this,” she reached out to pluck the flower.

In the dream, Ji Zhao fumed, “Yu Cheng, you dare! If you dare pick me, I’ll have your entire clan executed tomorrow! This is treason!”

Just as she was flailing wildly, she woke up.

Yu Cheng stood by her bed, gently but firmly nudging her awake. Dazed, she closed her eyes again. “What time is it?”

She heard a moment of silence, followed by a slight shift in footsteps. Yu Cheng turned to Chen Xingzi. “Zhaozhao wants to know what time it is.”

So, she still remembered not to speak directly to her.

Chen Xingzi was drawing eyeliner at the table. “What time is it?” she asked Shen Yican.

Shen Yican jumped down from the upper bunk. “It’s 7:45. It takes two minutes to get from the dorm to the staging area. You still have time to finish.”

This time, the ranking announcement was being held outdoors, on the estate’s lawn. From the balcony, they could see the production team’s setup: seventy-five chairs arranged in a trapezoidal formation, each row decreasing in number until only one remained at the top—the coveted Center Position, the focus of all attention.

When Dorm 309 arrived at the scene, most trainees had already gathered. Across the green lawn, one hundred and eight chairs were neatly arranged, divided by company, each bearing a trainee’s name tag.

Pei Jia waved at Ji Zhao. “Zhaozhao! Over here!”

Their company only had two members. While they couldn’t match the grandeur of some groups with seven or eight members, it was still better than being a solo trainee. As soon as Ji Zhao arrived, Pei Jia grabbed her arm. “You’re finally here! If you hadn’t come soon, I was seriously going to pack up and go home.”

Ji Zhao looked down. “Hm?”

Pei Jia paused, then smoothly changed her tone. “That’s impossible! I have to stay on this show and shine, all for my dreams!”

Her eyes burned with conviction. “For my dreams!”

Ji Zhao hummed absentmindedly, her gaze drifting past the trainees still finding their seats to the back row—where Yu Cheng was sitting with several Firefly Agency trainees. Unfazed by Tong Wei’s huffing, glaring, and disdainful expressions beside her, Yu Cheng seemed to sense Ji Zhao’s gaze and turned to look back.

Their eyes met in mid-air, but before they could exchange a word, a staff member urged, “Trainees, please take your seats quickly. The recording is about to begin.”

Cheng Feiwan had already arrived at the scene and was waiting off-camera. She lowered her head to review the list, occasionally glancing up at the trainees. Whether they met her gaze or not, their hearts raced with anxiety, fearing their time was running out.

Oh my god, I’m so nervous! Don’t tell me I’m going to have to pack my bags and get out tonight?

I secretly asked the Staff Manager last time, and my ranking’s been hovering around 75. If I get cut at 76, I’ll never set foot in the entertainment industry again!

Please, please, let me make it into the debut lineup.

“Good evening, trainees!” Cheng Feiwan’s voice boomed through the microphone, interrupting the trainees’ silent prayers. She strode across the stage in high heels, her elegant evening gown flowing behind her. Soft curls cascaded down her shoulders, and her smile was warm and radiant. “Long time no see. How have you all been?”

The trainees answered in unison—

“Not great!”

“I lost in the game!”

“The hot pot was delicious!”

“Teacher Cheng, I missed you so much!”

Cheng Feiwan chuckled. She was considerably older than the trainees and saw them as reflections of her younger self. Knowing their boundless energy and tendency to chatter endlessly, she focused her attention on the trainees the production team had singled out for camera time.

“Jiangjiang,” Cheng Feiwan said, glancing at her notecard. “I heard you learned some high-IQ speaking from Shen Xin. Can you teach me?”

Song Jiangjiang shot Shen Xin a pleading look, but Shen Xin remained impassive, her expression betraying no familiarity. You sly one, Jiangjiang thought bitterly. She took the microphone from a staff member and stood up. “Teacher Cheng.”

Cheng Feiwan tilted her head. “Hmm?”

Song Jiangjiang forced an awkward laugh. “If I were eliminated today, I’d bawl my eyes out and hang myself from the production team’s gate tomorrow.”

Cheng Feiwan: “……”

The trainees erupted in laughter.

This unexpected response after just one question didn’t discourage Cheng Feiwan. She continued asking several more trainees, discarding cards from her hand. When she reached a particular card, her expression paused, and she looked up at Ji Zhao. “Zhaozhao.”

Ji Zhao rose steadily to her feet. “Teacher Cheng.”

Cheng Feiwan asked with a smile, “Is the convenience store coffee good? When will you treat me to a cup?”

Ji Zhao was taken aback, never expecting the production team to have Cheng Feiwan ask this question. After a brief hesitation, she replied, “I didn’t like coffee before coming here, but I’ve grown to love it. If possible, after the competition is over, I’d like to take the convenience store’s barista with me. Director, is that okay?”

The Assistant Director stared in disbelief.

What do you think this is? A job fair? Digging up our talent right in front of us?!

“If the Director agrees, Teacher Cheng, I’ll invite you to my home for a cup,” Ji Zhao added.

Cheng Feiwan chuckled, “You said it yourself. I’m marking that down.”

The Assistant Director was speechless.

Who even thinks about the production team anymore?!

With that, the formal greetings segment came to an end.

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